Participants from all over the West and across the country are training to participate in the region’s third annual weekend-long Avon Walk for Breast Cancer fundraising event, coming to the Bay Area July 9-10. Funds raised will support breast cancer initiatives across the region and nation.
San Francisco, CA – April 4, 2005 -- As spring weather approaches, there is still plenty of time to register and train for the
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer San Francisco, an important fundraising event coming to the Bay Area in July. Dedicated women and men of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer are taking on the challenge to walk either a marathon or a marathon and a half to raise money and awareness that will help defeat breast cancer.
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer San Francisco is a noncompetitive walk structured for all fitness levels and is one of eight Avon Walks this year. The event begins Saturday, July 9, at 6:30 a.m. at Speedway Meadow Golden Gate Park and ends Sunday, July 10, at 4:00 p.m. at the same location after covering a 39-mile route in and around the Bay area.
On the first day – Saturday – participants have the choice of walking 13.1 or 26.2 miles – a half or full marathon. On Sunday, all walkers will complete another 13.1 miles, concluding with a celebratory closing ceremony that will include announcements of new local funding grants made possible by their journey.
Participants will spend Saturday night at the “Wellness Village,” their home away from home, located at Crissy Field. The Wellness Village features two-person sleeping tents, hot showers, prepared meals, entertainment, volunteer massage therapy, comprehensive medical services, and other special services. Throughout the weekend, walkers are supported by a volunteer crew every step of the way, along the route and in the Wellness Village.
To participate in the Avon Walk San Francisco, each walker is required to raise a minimum of $1,800.
Historically, past walkers have raised an average of over $3,000 each. Last year’s Avon Walk San
Francisco raised more than $4.9 million. Funds raised at each event are awarded to local, regional and national
breast cancer organizations to support five areas of the breast cancer cause, including awareness and education,
screening and diagnosis, access to treatment, support services, and scientific research. Beneficiaries range from
leading cancer centers to community-based non-profit breast health programs.
When participants register for the Avon Walk San Francisco and other events of the 2005 eight-city series, they are assigned a “walker buddy” to provide support in their fundraising and training initiatives. Interested participants should call 1-877-WALK AVON or go to
www.avonwalk.org.
The complete 2005 Avon Walk series includes: Charlotte, NC (April 16-17); Washington, DC (April 30-May 1); Boston, MA (May 14-15); Chicago, IL (June 4-5); Denver, CO (June 25-26); San Francisco, CA (July 9-10); Los Angeles, CA (September 17-18); New York, NY (October 1-2).
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is generously supported by National Sponsors Novartis Oncology and RYKÄ, Official Water FIJI, and Official Sponsors Airplus for Her and Crystal Light.
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Participants have already registered for the Avon Walk San Francisco from across the state and surrounding areas. Media interested in speaking with local participants in training or local Avon Walk beneficiaries should contact Allyson Laughlin at allyson@youngnsavvy.com or call 310.779.9855.
AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER SAN FRANCISCO
BENEFICIARY INFORMATION
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series is a project of the Avon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity with the mission to improve the lives of women, focusing on breast cancer and domestic violence (www.avonfoundation.org) . There are eight Avon Walk events slated for 2005, and funds raised will be managed and disbursed by the Foundation to support five critical areas of the breast cancer cause, including: awareness and education, screening and diagnosis, access to treatment, support services, and scientific research.
Funds raised by the participants of the Avon Walk San Francisco, which takes place July 9-10, will be distributed to local and national breast cancer organizations. New grants to local beneficiaries will be announced at the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, July 10, at 4:00 at Speedway Meadow Golden Gate Park.
Currently Funded San Francisco-area Local Beneficiaries
of the Avon Foundation*
| Organization |
Location |
Funding mission |
| University of
California, San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital Foundation |
San Francisco, CA |
Funds support the
operational costs of the UCSF mobile mammography van, installed at the
newly-dedicated Avon Foundation Breast Center.
Recipient of 3 Avon-NCI Progress for Patients Award (see below). |
| CityTeam Ministries |
San Francisco, CA |
Funds support a
breast cancer detection initiative at the San Francisco, San Jose and
Oakland locations of CityTeam to identify women with breast problems, get
them care as soon as possible and navigate them through all stages of
diagnosis and treatment. |
| Marin Breast Cancer
Watch |
San Rafael, CA |
Funds support a
participatory research program in Marin County. The program is also
supported by the University of California, San Francisco, another Avon
Foundation beneficiary, in preparation of an application for a major grant
from the NIEHS, to study environmental factors as possible causes of breast
cancer. |
| Charlotte Maxwell
Complementary Clinic |
Oakland, CA |
Funds support free
complementary, alternative medical treatments to low-income women in San
Francisco. |
| Contra Costa Health
Services |
Martinez, CA |
Funds support
increased utilization of mobile mammography van and patient navigator to
reach more women. |
| Women’s Cancer
Resource Center |
Oakland, CA |
Funds support a
variety of initiatives aimed at navigating monolingual, Spanish-speaking
women through cancer screening and diagnostic services at Highland Hospital. |
| Mendocino County
Cancer Resource Center |
Mendocino, CA |
Funds support the
WeCAN!Ô program of the MCCRC to provide Consultation Planning and Recording
methods to medically-underserved women in the Northern California area
undergoing evaluation for breast abnormalities, enabling patients to address
questions regarding treatment options, side effects and efficacy before they
meet with their physician(s). A patient navigator is assigned to each woman
in the program to assist in this process and follow-up. |
| St. Joseph’s
Medical Center of Stockton |
Stockton, CA |
Breast health
education and navigation into low- and no-cost screening services for the
medically underserved. |
| YWCA of Sacramento |
Sacramento, CA |
Breast health
education and navigation into low- and no-cost screening services for the
medically underserved. |
Currently Funded National Beneficiaries Providing Nationwide Services*
| Organization |
Funding Mission |
| AVONCares program
of Cancer Care, Inc. |
Provide financial
assistance and support services to qualified individuals undergoing breast
cancer treatment. |
Cancer and Careers
(cancerandcareers.org) |
Provide online
support services for women managing careers through treatment for breast
cancer. |
| National Breast
Cancer Coalition Fund |
Provide breast
cancer medical education and advocacy training to those interested in
becoming patient advocates. |
| Y-ME National
Breast Cancer Organization |
Provide educational
tools and support and navigation services for individuals diagnosed with
breast cancer, as well as their partners/spouses. |
| American College of
Radiology Imaging Network |
Funds support a
national clinical trial on the efficacy of ultrasound as a screening tool in
high-risk women and a fellowship in the subspecialty of breast imaging. |
| Avon-CDC Mobile
Access Program |
Funds support
multiple mobile mammography vans that provide breast health education and
screening to hard-to-reach women in outlying, rural communities. |
| National Cancer
Institute |
A $20 million gift
supports phase I and II clinical trials in breast cancer. |
| National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences |
Funds support four
interrelated projects focused on |
*These are from among hundreds of Avon Foundation-funded organizations and institutions nationwide. For complete information visit
http://www.avonfoundation.org/.
Contacts:
Allyson Laughlin
310.779.9855
allyson@youngnsavvy.com |
Susan Arnot Heaney
212.282.5668
Susan.Heaney@avonfoundation.org |
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